News

Plane crash victims were from Midwest, coroner says

By KEVIN HOWE Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
11/12/2012 05:47:18 PM PST

Updated:
11/13/2012 11:18:12 AM PST

Two men killed Saturday in the crash of a light plane near Shaver Lake after it took off from Salinas Municipal Airport were identified Monday by the Fresno County Coroner as a father and son from the Midwest.

Deputy Coroner Jeff Gentry said the two crash victims were Scott Clarke, 40, of Springfield, Mo., and Patrick Clarke, 67, of Omaha, Neb.

Their bodies were found at the crash site and an autopsy has been conducted, he said.

The crash was heard by witnesses about 7:30 p.m., Gentry said. The wreckage was found by a helicopter crew a half hour later, about 35 miles northeast of Fresno in Sierra National Forest.

The plane was upside down, he said, and the Clarkes appeared to be the only two occupants.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the twin-engine, six-passenger aircraft was a Cessna 421 and was traveling on an instrument flight plan from Salinas to Omaha.

Cause of the accident is under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, he said. The NTSB is the lead investigative agency and it typically takes months to come up with a probable cause of the accident, Kenitzer said.